British Library to host London leg of Jaipur Lit Fest

The British Library will be transformed like never before as the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival animates its iconic spaces for the first time in celebration as part of significant 70 years of India-Britain cultural relations.

Held for two days on May 20-21, the fourth London edition of the ZEE JLF@The British Library will present a sumptuous showcase of South Asia's literary heritage, oral and performing arts, music, cinema and illusion, books and ideas, dialogue and debate, Bollywood and politics in the context of this broader view of India and its relationship to the Britain.

The speakers at the programmer include: Oscar-winning British director Stephen Frears, Swapan Dasgupta, Shashi Tharoor, Shrabani Basu, Neel Madhav, Philip Norman, Tahmima Anam, Sarvat Hasin, Amit Chaudhuri, Kunal Basu, Amit Chaudhuri, Meera Syal, Prajwal Parajuly and Lila Azam Zanganeh, Anita Anand along with William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale.

ZEE JLF@The British Library is the first of five cultural strands which form part of the Year of UK-India of Culture in 2017, celebrating the deep cultural ties and exchange in what is a year of great significance for the world's largest democracy as India marks 70 years as an independent democratic republic.

"In only a decade the Jaipur Literature Festival has grown from 14 lost tourists to third of a million people and it's now the biggest festival of literature in the world. We can't wait to bring its energy and colour to the British Library: our Jaipur-on-Thames," author and ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival Co-Director William Dalrymple said in a statement.

Namita Gokhale, author and ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival Co-Director said: "Delighted that the fourth edition of JLF in London will be hosted by the British Library. London is a uniquely cosmopolitan and literary city, and we look forward to celebrating diversity through a series of vibrant sessions that reflect the special spirit of Jaipur."

Sanjoy Roy, Producer, ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival, said: "Our collaboration with the British Library is reflective of the shared history between the sub-continent and the UK. The festival will continue to be a platform for diverse voices and will celebrate 70 years of India's independence."

"The British Library is delighted to be hosting the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival this year as we celebrate the UK-India Year of Culture. The exciting programme reflects the richness of this new cultural partnership," Jamie Andrews, Head, Culture and Learning, The British Library, said in a statement.

--IANS

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